NORWALK -- First of all, the Brien McMahon High School football team is 5-0 for the first time since 1994 -- when it won the Class MM title with a 53-16 rout of Killingly -- a correction from Sunday's game story.

The Senators reached that plateau with what head coach AJ Albano said was "definitely our most consistent game of the year" in their 41-13 victory over Harding at Hedges Stadium in Bridgeport on Saturday afternoon.

Eight different ballcarriers helped McMahon to its largest rushing output of 2013 -- 242 yards and five touchdowns on 37 attempts -- as the visitors answered the Presidents' opening score with 41 straight points in about half a game to put the contest out of reach.

"We talked about it all week -- being consistent," Albano said. "We got four yards a play. We told kids to do your job. We gave up a couple of big plays, where we let people behind us, but overall we were solid. The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, even though they missed a few assignments and didn't get a push all the time."

The steady man on the tiller for the turnover-free Senators was quarterback Matt Downey, who was 8-for-10 passing for 92 yards and a touchdown to running back Kentrell Snider.

Downey did not have a carry, was not sacked, and his two incompletions never put the ball in harm's way. In other words, the signal-caller directed the offense just the way Albano and his staff want to see.

"We need Matt to be accurate and on the money, and not turn the ball over," Albano said. "This was his best game of the year. We protected him better -- that was a big part of it -- and he hung in there and took shots, and that combination was a big part of why he had his best day this year."

Leading the balanced ground charge was Timmy Hinton Jr., with 98 yards and three scores on 11 carries, and Kenneth Keen, who ran seven times for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Keen was also his dynamic self on defense, adding to his state-leading average of better than 14 tackles a game. Albano knows that Keen's success does not occur in a vacuum.

"Kenny Keen is as good as you're going to see at linebacker," Albano said. "But Kenny knows, without the 10 other guys, he and we are nothing. We need everyone to set the edge, occupy blockers. On Saturday, (outside linebacker) Allan Lenard flushed (quarterback Christian Hopkins), and (defensive end) David Daniel got the sack. We realize that, and we're playing unselfish team football."

Head coach Bruce Cunningham, when asked before the game about which single player must be stopped to beat the 5-0 Cadets said "all of them, they are that good."

After St. Joseph left Tom Fujitani Field on Friday night with a 44-20 win, Cunningham's assessment changed little.

"I don't care who they play -- best of luck to everybody," Cunningham said. "They're damn good. We didn't quit, and we did everything we needed to do. We played out butts off. At 23-14, we had a key drop (pass on third down). If we get the first down there, at least the game gets extended a little more if we can get some points. But they score in two plays. You can't make a mistake against them."

The Warriors, 3-2, fell behind 16-0, but battled back to 16-14 on that Phillips-to-Sorbo connection in the third.

"We moved the ball on them, and we did a damn good job against them," Cunningham said. "If you screw up, they make you pay. It's not about our effort. It's about (the Cadets). We fought our butts off, and that's all I care about. They wore us out with their playmaking."

• • •

Something just seemed a bit off this weekend (full moon? solar flares?) and there's one more correction to make.

Wide receiver/cornerback Will Johnson made the nifty, shifty, 75-yard, third-quarter punt return that broke open the Staples High School football team's game with Fairfield Ludlowe from 17-16 at halftime toward the 52-23 final score.

The Falcons were able to hang around because of some uncharacteristic errors from quarterback Jack Massie and what has been proving to be a rugged defense.

One of those miscues was a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter to pull Ludlowe within 17-16 with 1:22 left before halftime.

"We had some mistakes in the first half," said Staples head coach Marce Petroccio. "Jack is such a good player, he always tries to make a play. He's going to try and fit it in. We tell him sometimes you have to throw the ball away and live another day. Defensively, the third-down conversions were troubling, but we got better in the second half."

Petroccio expects these growing pains for a team full of new starters, but at 4-1 -- and about halfway through the season -- it's time to make permanent corrections.

"We have to put four quarters together," Petroccio said. "These mistakes are what happens when you start a lot of new kids. If we get back to work and correct the mistakes, we'll be OK. These mistakes are correctable."

• • •

Norwalk head coach Sean Ireland was fairly succinct in evaluating the 49-0 loss at Greenwich on Friday night.

"There's not much to take away from a 49-0 game," Ireland said. "We're not going to show the kids the game film. (Greenwich head coach) Richie (Albonizio) was very nice, or it could have been 70-0."

The Bears, 2-3, have a very simple formula for success -- run the ball, secure the ball, don't commit penalties -- and very little wiggle room if that formula gets disrupted.

"We were moving the ball with (quarterback) Jeremy (Linton)," Ireland said. "We had a first down on their side of the field, took a holding penalty, and now we're first-and-20 on our side of the field. We can't do that. We had three first down before that."

Linton was knocked out of the game, and is being evaluated for a possible concussion on Monday.

"Cliff (Joseph) ran the ball hard, and Ricky (Mejia) ran the ball well," Ireland said. "The offensive line handled the blitz well. The kids are more embarrassed than angry. We're better than we showed. We're not 49 points worse than Greenwich."

The offensive line consists of, from right tackle to left tackle, Corey Barrett, Evan Adams, Tommy LaRosa, Zack LaRusso and Jacques Alexis.

• • •

Once again the New Canaan High School football team exploded to an early lead -- 28-0 after one quarter, 49-0 at halftime -- and cruised to a 49-7 triumph, this time over Danbury on Saturday afternoon at James Dunning Field.

"I think we're very fortunate to catch (the Hatters) at a time when everything was working for us," said head coach Lou Marinelli. "We scored every time we had the ball in the first half. It reminds me of the old Bob Lynch head coaching days from 1968 to '70, when he'd try to score quickly and get it over with early and clear his bench. We had subs in the whole second half."

The Rams are clearly clicking on all cylinders -- at least for 24 minutes. No team has pushed New Canaan past intermission.

"We have yet to be challenged, and I've never been in this situation before, with the first five games being blowouts," Marinelli said. "You can't call this schedule weak, with (4-1) Daniel Hand and Greenwich, and no winless teams. At this point we haven't won anything yet. The kids are in good enough condition to play four quarters, and we know the challenge is coming."

After Chicopee, Mass., comes to Dunning on Friday night to fill what would have been a bye week for a second, unfilled SCC date, Staples and St. Joseph (combined 9-1) are the next two opponents.

"We, the coaches, can talk all we want, but ultimately it's the kids who have to respond," Marinelli said. "I think these kids will respond. As long as we stay together, I like our chances against anybody. The kids are feeling good about themselves, and they look forward to the challenges ahead."

• • •

Don't let the 62-32 score from Saturday against Notre Dame-Fairfield fool anyone; things are not right with the Weston High School football team.

Priding themselves on playing tough, grind-it-out, error-free football -- and feeding off opponents' mistakes at crunch time -- for seven previous season under head coach Joe Lato, this year's Trojans are muddling along at 3-2, repeating the same miscues.

The scoreboard malfunctioning, and the game officials failing to properly keep the time on the field, added to a surreal contest that went longer than the Sacred Heart-Central Connecticut game nearby, the end of which Weston players and coaches had hoped to catch after their game.

When the Trojans and Lancers slogged through a three-hour marathon, that little treat was lost.

"It's the same old song and dance," Lato said, with apologies to Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. "Until we get beyond this, we are consistently doing the same mistakes. What we've built this program on is discipline and doing all the little things right. What we do now is almost comical. It's not a lack of effort. Maybe that's what we are, but I hate to think we are doing things we can't control."

Lato cited one example of a play that was not designed to be run, but rather was meant to draw the Lancers offsides. On their wristbands, the Trojans had "no play" next to the play call -- with no blocking assignments or pass routes -- yet a Weston player still jumped before the snap.

"Can we play solid, smart football?" Lato asked wistfully. "On the first drive we coughed up the ball, on a simple hit from behind. We had them in third-and-15, and we roughed the passer. I thought we moved beyond this. Teams looking at our film must be licking their chops and saying we will self-destruct."

Junior Jackson Siff was cited for catching the first touchdown of the game -- the first of his career, in his first varsity game -- and for playing solid defense.

"At 3-2, the game film will be our truth," Lato said. "We're trying to stimulate them. We'll keep working. We put together a really good week of practice, and we'll have to do that again. We used to play together, and let opponents beat themselves. We're so behind in turnovers it's ridiculous. Right now we're sloppy."

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